Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen delivers the 2025 State of the County address before an audience of hundreds of people Friday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Photo courtesy Maui County

In his third State of the County address, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen described the county as “determined.”

“While our community may be in different stages of healing, I stand before you tonight to say the state of our county is determined — determined to get our people home, determined to rebuild, determined to restore hope,” Bissen told an audience of hundreds at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater on Friday.

During his remarks, Bissen said he stood before the community one year ago as Maui faced devastation and heartbreak from the August 2023 wildfires. More than 100 people died in the disaster that caused an estimated $7.7 billion in damage and destroyed much of Lahaina’s buildings and infrastructure.

Now, the mayor stands in awe of the community’s “unbreakable strength and tremendous progress that has been made.”

“Our foundation — our kahua, although shaken, remains strong,” Bissen said. “As the Hawaiian proverb reminds us, ”O ke kahua mamua, mahope ke kukulu’ — set the foundation first, then build upon it.”

From response to recovery

Bissen said that seven months ago, the community gathered to pay tribute and honor those who died in the fires while supporting survivors and strengthening the path toward healing.

Aiding the recovery effort underway, Bissen noted how the Office of Recovery under the leadership of Administrator John Smith has been established, as well as the Lahaina Recovery Resource Center at Lahaina Gateway, which provides a centralized hub for support services.

Bissen said the wildfire recovery effort continues to gain momentum as local officials coordinate with state and federal officials and the private sector to help organize resources and accelerate the process.

According to the mayor, over the last year, the county hosted 56 meetings in Lahaina and Kula to provide updates and gain feedback to help guide the recovery work. At their peak, nearly 9,000 people tuned in online to watch live-steams of these meetings.

One of the results of the work was the Lahaina Long-Term Recovery Plan, which Bissen described as a living document shaped by 3,800 residents and stakeholders through 11 community engagement events.

“More than rebuilding, this plan envisions a stronger, more resilient Lahaina, guided by the voices and hopes of its people,” he said.

Another major milestone that Bissen highlighted Friday centered on the county securing more than $1.6 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funding for Maui County from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That money is earmarked to support housing recovery, infrastructure, public services and mitigation activities, and Bissen specifically thanked U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, Gov. Josh Green and Maui County Council members for their help securing the funding.

Rebuilding Lahaina

Bissen was pleased to report all of the residential and commercial properties — 1,538 lots in total — have been fully cleared of ash and fire debris.

Clearing all those lots has resulted in more than 400,000 tons of debris, which Bissen equated to five football fields stacked 50 feet high.

He said the removal effort required an estimated 40,000 truckloads to take all of the debris to the newly constructed temporary disposal site in Olowalu. Now, the county has identified a long-term solution with a permanent dispital site adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill, and the county is preparing to move the debris from the temporary site to the permanent site.

“This strategic acquisition not only accommodates wildfire debris, but also expands landfill capacity needs for years to come,” Bissen said of the purchase.

Bissen also said significant progress has been made restoring Lahaina’s infrastructure after the fires did widespread damage to the roads, water, sewer and drainage systems in Lahaina.

“Thanks to the exceptional work of the EPA, we fully restored water service two years ahead of schedule,” Bissen said. “Lahaina’s sewer system is now 90% complete, serving 3,890 lots and is on track to be fully operational by the end of April.”

In terms of rebuilding homes and businesses, Bissen said the county has launched an expedited disaster recovery building permit system and issued 320 permits with 291 more under review.

“The first homes in Lahaina and Kula were completed before thanksgiving last year, and today, over 200 single-family homes are being built,” Bissen said before pausing to show a video featuring the first families who moved back home.

By implementing a temporary suspension of Special Management Area permit requirements for properties mauka of Front Street in Lahaina, Bissen said the permit processing time has been reduced by about a year for more than 600 homes and businesses.

The mayor added that with 3,200 burned-out vehicles removed, most roads repaired and access to many Lahaina neighborhoods either restored or continuing to improve, the county expects all road restrictions to be lifted by this summer.

Bissen applauded the 42 hotels that stepped up to house more than 8,000 survivors following the fires, and the mayor touched on efforts to transition families into stable housing.

He said that the state, county and private housing initiatives are developing 1,100 temporary housing units, with half of them already complete, across eight properties in West, South and Central Maui.

“Our recovery is built on one undeniable truth: Rebuilding Lahaina is not just about replacing structures; it is about returning our people to their land,” Bissen said. “It means walking through our neighborhoods and seeing the familiar faces of our keiki to kupuna because they are the very heart and soul of Lahaina.”

Boosting preparedness

“Critical to the success of our recovery is ensuring that the county is better prepared for future disasters,” Bissen said while explaining that Maui County has completed disaster After-Action Reports for police, fire and the Maui Emergency Management Agency.

According to Bissen, those plans have guided improvements in communication, evacuation procedures, personnel deployment, emergency alerts and fire station infrastructure.

Additionally, MEMA will be launching Genasys Protect, an evacuation management app, and the agency has invested in advanced weather stations with AI-enabled cameras for real-time emergency communication and enhanced awareness.

Furthermore, MEMA has also increased its staffing from nine to 22 employees with new positions in Hana, Lana’i and Molokai.

Beyond that, Bissen said the county’s Department of Fire and Public Safety is strengthening its fire preparedness by adding 29 new positions countywide and advancing the Haiku Fire Station with $15 million in federal funding.

The new fire station is currently in the permitting process.

Looking ahead

Bissen said his administration’s priorities for 2025 are focused on kamaʻāina housing initiatives and solutions to keep local residents in their communities, advancing recovery and well-being efforts and protecting cultural and natural resources.

“Housing remains one of the most pressing challenges across Maui Nui,” Bissen said. “The county is on track to contribute to nearly 620 completed units last year, and over 1,200 new, permanent units coming online over the next two years. Additionally, the county’s draft CDBG-DR Action Plan, now undergoing community review and input, proposes to allocate over $1.2 billion over the next six years toward the reconstruction, rebuilding, and development of housing and housing-related infrastructure for our people.”

Mayor Bissen added that he will be introducing legislation soon to resolve long-standing real property tax delinquencies for DHHL homestead lessees.

“This bill will exempt improved homestead leases from real property taxes beyond the minimum tax, protecting Native Hawaiian families from rising housing costs and burdensome processes,” he said.

In addition to housing initiatives, Bissen highlighted a number of other priorities for Maui County in 2025 including:

• Working with community partners and event organizers to see the return of the Maui County State Fair.

• Prioritizing community well-being and mental health by securing funding for three new programs to increase access in remote communities, train local providers and support those in crisis. Next year, through a partnership with the Department of Defense, Tropic Care will provide no-cost medical, dental and vision services to Molokai and Lana’i.

• Plans to move forward with the “Safe Parking” program to provide a secure environment for residents living in their vehicles. A request for proposals is expected this month.

• Development of a coordinated water management plan that takes a holistic approach to managing drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, while addressing post-fire recovery challenges and ensuring Lahaina’s long-term sustainability.

• Strengthening local agriculture and food security with the launch of the Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan to ensure access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food while supporting climate adaptation and local food producers.

• Working to address South Maui’s flooding issues by exploring potential solutions including mauka drainage basins, improved sediment removal and long-term flood prevention strategies.

• Energy-saving initiatives to enhance energy efficiency, facility management and critical infrastructure. First-year savings for these programs are expected to reach $1.63 million, with an additional $80,000 in rebates from Hawai’i Energy.

• Expanding sustainable transportation options to improve mobility and reduce the carbon footprint. The Maui County Department of Transportation is adding four electric buses and charging stations while the opening of the Kahului Transit Center provides a central hub for Maui bus riders. The county has also launched a feasibility study to explore inter-island travel options.

• Competition of the $10 million Lāna’i Skate Park and Youth Center project, which is slated to open at the end of the month.

• The revitalization of Moku’ula and Loko o Mokuhinia, two sacred sites often revered as the historical piko of Hawai’i.